Anomaly: The Saints of Boston
by CorvidaeCorvusCorax
Summary: As Toad learns to accept life after being a Brotherhood member for so long, he meets Victoria's new team, the Saints of Boston. Continuation of my previous fanfic, Anomaly. On hiatus, possibly slated for deletion.
1. Part I: Extra Credit Heroes

_Author's Note: I didn't think I'd actually do it, but here is the continuation of Anomaly. This one is meant to be more humorous and has a bunch of new characters. I wanted to get more details about the students of WASI and maybe have them interact with various Marvel characters later on. See my profile for more information or check my website (which you can find the link to on my profile page). Constructive criticism is welcome as always! And please enjoy!_

* * *

**Anomaly: The Saints of Boston**

**By CorvidaeCorvusCorax**

**Part One: Extra Credit Heroes**

_Bang!_ The sound rattled the entire west wing, followed by Shauna Lake's voice, "Shane did it!" The smoke alarms echoed in the hallways, _beep-beep-beep-beep._ Her older brother, Shane, shot her a dirty look.

"Okay, everybody back up!" Mr. Hureau instructed the class and allowed Julia Pagan, a very pretty Year Eleven and Winifred Augusta's talented hydrokinetic, handle the small desk fire.

"I am _so_ not taking the blame for this," Shane stated (more to himself than his sister), crossing his arms over his chest. The two looked very much alike, and it was obvious that they were related (regardless of how either of them tried to hide it).

Once the smoke had subsided, Mr. Hureau pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, "So, what have we learned today, class?"

The students exchanged glances. What exactly _were_ they learning? He hated to admit it, but Mr. Hureau realized that the fire had caught the students' attention far beyond that of the Civil Rights Movement. Perhaps if he 'accidentally' set fire to his desk, he could get them to pass in their homework? No, he shook the idea away, which would never work, too many insurance issues.

The bell rang, signaling the end of class. The students shuffled away from their desks, collecting their belongings—

"Please remember—quiz tomorrow—on the—_bah_!" Mr. Hureau tried to call after them, but most had already escaped. He sighed and returned to his desk, his eyes just barely flittering over the table where the Lake siblings sat, "One helluva semester…"

* * * *

"You want to set up a team _here_?" Charlotte Fournier, the headmistress asked, though she wasn't in any way surprised. Victoria Ward guess that the seer already knew.

"I only know very few details of how Xavier trains his team," Victoria stated, "He gave me the basic tour when I returned for Mr. Toynbee."

"Basic tour?" Charlotte's brow rose.

"They offered me a position on the team after Jean..." But Victoria faltered, "After the tragic events that took the place at Alkali Lake. They were lacking a red head with telekinesis, if you get what I mean..." Victoria smiled, but her eyes showed something much different.

"But why at _my_ school, Ward?" Charlotte needed more convincing, "With _my_ students? Why not out on their street with your own friends?"

"_Your_ students are _my_ friends," Victoria replied, "And I _know_ you want this, too." She smirked, hoping to get her point further across.

Charlotte distracted herself for a moment with a folder on her desk, her expression unreadable. Victoria grew uncomfortable with the silence, "Fine," The headmistress sighed, "But _I_ will be monitoring everything _and_," She paused, "I am _not_ letting you get my daughter involved."

"_What_?!" Victoria forgot how much the office echoed.

"You heard me, Ward," Charlotte had turned the tables on her, and wore the smug sense of self satisfaction clearly on her face, "Do we have an agreement?"

Victoria knew that Lucy would _not_ be happy to hear this, "Fine."

* * * *

"I _suck_ at math," Steven Foley announced, dropping his books and lunch tray onto the table. He was kind of on the short side, with short brown hair and brown eyes, and his uniform wasn't as neat as many of the others'.

"No you _don't_," Mildred Clarke insisted. He took the vacant seat next to her, "I'll tutor you if you want." Mildred had long, light colored hair pulled back into a pony-tail. She was also a graduating Year Twelve student and the Student Council treasurer.

"Thanks," Steven smirked, and then looked across the table at Shane Lake, "What's his problem?"

"Problem?" Shane asked, "I don't have a problem." The anger in his voice betrayed him.

"His 'problem' is five-foot-two and can blow things up with her mind," Robert Cherubino, who sat next to Shane, chuckled. Robert was a few inches taller than Steven, with tan skin and a shaved head. He was something of a computer genius, and loved that fact.

"She tried to blame _me_ for the explosion!" Shane shouted, "Uh, _hello_?! Does _this_ sound like _bang _to you?" There was a noise like a match hitting a striker and Shane's fist burst into flame.

"Shane!" Felicia Coutu, a pretty girl with light brown hair and one of Mildred's friends, called from the next table over, "Put that out before a teacher sees!"

He let out an angry sigh, but complied. Just as suddenly as his hands erupted, they extinguished, "All I'm sayin' is: She ain't gettin' away with it this time."

"'Ain't gettin' away with' what?" David Harrison, a very tall Year Eleven, asked, taking his usual seat on the other side of Mildred. When there was no response, he smirked, "_Oh_! The fire..."

"It wasn't a _fire_, it was an _explosion_!" Shane hissed, violently grabbing his belongings and jumping up from the table, "_Jesus!_" He left the table in silence.

* * * *

"_What_?!" Lucy's reaction had been the same as Victoria's, which made the older girl smile a little.

"I'm sorry, she makes the rules," Victoria shrugged.

"But _he_ gets to do it!" Lucy pointed at Toad, "And he's an ex-terrorist!"

"He's reformed," Victoria stated defensively, "And he's an adult who doesn't have his old teacher signing his paychecks."

"I'm not a little kid, Tori," Lucy yelled, "And _you're_ gonna be there!"

""Look--until we can get the team grounded and prove that we _can_ do this," Victoria explained, "We're going to have to trust your mother's judgment."

"But you told me not to second-guess every action!" The younger girl whined.

"That was _before_ your mother was legally my boss," Victoria replied, then sighed, "Mort, can you help me?"

Toad had been standing there the whole time, mostly trying to mind his own business. He crossed his arms over his chest, "What do you want _me_ to say?"

"That's helpful," She rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Toad," Lucy turned to him, "_You_ think I can do it, right?"

It caught him off guard a little, "Uh..." He tried to quickly collect his thoughts. Seeing as Victoria let him move in with her and stay in the guest room, _and_ was providing him with food and a job, he wasn't sure which side to take, "Victoria?"

"Okay, how about _this_," Victoria said, "Give it three months, and I'll try to get your mother to change her mind."

"Three months?" Lucy repeated.

"I promise," Victoria replied. Lucy didn't say anything for a few minutes, though her green eyes were wide and somewhat damp, "You'll be one of us in no time."

"Speaking of which," Toad interrupted, "Who are the rest of 'us?' "

* * * *

"Anyone know what's going on?" Steven Foley asked. He had been called to the office without explanation, and apparently so had a few others--most notably Shane Lake.

"Don't look at _me_," Shane shrugged, "I didn't do anything."

"Dave, your girlfriend is on the student council, and thus knows everything that goes on in this school..." Steven's voice trailed off.

"No clue, Steve," David Harrison replied.

"_O_-kay," Steven sighed, "Felicia?"

"Nope," The girl replied.

"Hey, Rob—"

Robert Cherubino didn't let him finish, however, "Shut up, Steve."

Then all eyes turned to the office entrance, when a girl—not in school uniform—came in. She had long, red-brown hair and was dressed in some kind of business clothing, the same color scheme as the school uniforms, brown and white. Behind her was Lucy Fournier, following closely and holding a pile of folders in her arms.

"Hey…isn't that…?" Shane whispered.

"Hi, Victoria!" Felicia greeted the red-head. The girl smiled at her and gave a small wave. They didn't stop to chat however, and went directly into Ms. Fournier's office.

"Dude, I remember her," Steve said quietly.

"Yeah, she was some kind of math genius," Robert stated, "I heard she switched schools last semester. Wonder what she's doin' back?"

"I heard she joined a group of vigilantes down in New York," David said, "Ever wonder where Barnabas disappeared to?"

"She didn't kill anyone," Felicia rolled her eyes.

"Never said she did," David replied.

"She graduated in the middle of the year," Felicia retorted, "Then she went to a school in New York as part of a scholarship program."

"And how do you know _that_?" Steven asked, unconvinced.

"Mildred told me what Fournier told her," Felicia shrugged.

"And you _believe_ that?" Robert snorted, "That doesn't explain why she's back."

"Maybe she's working for Fournier now," Steven suggested.

But before anyone could ask him to explain, Fournier leaned out of her office and motioned for them to enter. This couldn't end well…

* * * *

They stood in silence for about five minutes. Ms. Fournier was going through some files on her desk. Victoria sat in a chair next to her, scribbling some notes down in a notebook. Lucy was in the corner near a book shelf trying not to stare at them.

"Mr. Lake," Charlotte stated, breaking the silence and making them jump a little. She stared Shane down like she was some kind of FBI agent, "Pyrokinetic-elemental, attended two high schools before arriving here, was expelled for a mysterious bathroom fire, and you were on the swim team in both schools."

To help the awkward feeling, Shane smirked, "The irony of that is hilarious, isn't it?"

"Incredibly," Old Fournier wasn't as amused, "Your attendance record has been well, you excel in most of your classes, but you've still managed to cause small desk fires on two occasions, regardless of allotted ability-usage time." Shane's face turned a bright red color, but Charlotte seems to ignore it, "Victoria has sought each of you out for the reason that she believes that _you_ can help her."

"Help her do _what_?" Shane asked.

"Prove a point," Victoria smirked, "See, I know all of you a little more than you think," She smirked at Felicia, though the gesture was not returned, "And with recent...events..." Victoria glanced at Shane, "I believe that this will be a good way to let out all that energy, and it can teach you to use your abilities constructively, outside of the usual classes Winifred Augusta's offers."

"What are you saying?" Robert asked.

"Last semester I spent some time in New York," Victoria explained. Felicia shot Robert a smug look, "And they had a special team consisting of staff and senior members of the school. You all have probably heard the rumors surrounding the Liberty Island Incident? Well, you can thank this team for saving the leaders of the free world."

Some laughed through it. Robert spoke up first, "This is ridiculous." They all nodded in agreement.

"Mr. Cherubino," Charlotte caught his attention, "Technopathic...I believe you were expelled from your last school for hacking into school files?" That certainly shut him up, "What Miss Ward is trying to do is teach you that you don't have to step aside and let others save mutant kind. You don't have to always look the other way."

"Don't think of it as saving the world from one evildoer at a time," Victoria added.

"Can we have time to think it over?" Felicia asked. Charlotte nodded. A million thoughts were racing through each of their heads.

"I'm in," Steven stated. The others turned to stare at him. He shrugged it off, however, "I can't be the only one."

"Me, too," David added, "I'm tired of hiding and not doing anything for mutant rights."

Rob sighed, "You guys are gonna need a hacker, I guess."

Felicia spoke up next, "I'm not exactly sure how shape-shifting will help in all this...but I'll try." She finally returned the smile to Victoria, "Shane?"

All eyes were on him, Shane slowly realized, "You can _really _teach us things?"

Victoria nodded, "I have some friends that will be assisting me, yes."

"And we're gonna be a team," Shane continued, "Like in the comic books?" He paused. Victoria knew that he would be necessary, and if he refused, she'd have to sift through hundreds of files to find someone else... But then he smirked, "Do I get to wear a cape?"


	2. Part II: Learning the Ropes

**Anomaly: The Saints of Boston**

**By CorvidaeCorvusCorax**

**Part ****Two: Learning the Ropes**

The next couple of days were slow. Victoria spent them in her home office, researching the files given to her by Charlotte Fournier. This process was much more difficult than she originally believed, and there was much more information than just the new team.

"You need sleep, Ward," A voice fluttered across the small space. She looked up and saw Toad standing in the doorway, still dressed, which didn't surprise her. He was like her, nocturnal and usually fell asleep in whatever he was wearing on whatever surface he happened upon.

"It's only eleven," She shook her head, "And I've got _a lot_ of stuff to go through."

"What kind of 'stuff?'" He was curious. He had yet to meet this 'team' and Victoria was irritating him with these late nights, working on this 'stuff.' It wasn't really her fault he was a light sleeper. He was suddenly brought back to memories of the lair, when Mystique would do the same thing. Though, there was less yawning when she did it.

"Only _some_ of it is information on the students," Victoria explained, "But, look at _this_." She held up a folder, but her eyes remained down on her desk.

He walked over to her and took the file from her hands, "What is it?"

"Read it."

And he did, his eyes quickly darting back and forth as he skimmed over each line, "I don't understand," He handed it back to her, "What is all this?"

"_That_ is what could have been had Barnabas succeeded," Victoria replied matter of factly, "You know the deal he made with Stryker? Apparently, that's not all he was up to..."

"Like what?"

"Like selling some criminal mutants given to him for study by Stryker to Bolivar Trask," Victoria explained, "...who was in charge of some defunct government project called 'Wideawake.' And if _Magneto_ had gotten his way before _that_, the project would have annihilated all mutants. It all seems like random events, but it all makes sense now that I'm seeing it on paper."

"Wow," He tried to mask the mixed feelings he had. It wouldn't work, he knew, Victoria had a knack for reading people. She had said his old friend and boss' name as though it were some kind of infectious disease. A small part of him wanted to _defend_ Erik, but it was swallowed by the truth that this 'friend' didn't bother looking for him after all that happened.

"And," Victoria continued, "Barnabas had connections with Senator Kelly. See, mutant registration meant that he could find the descendant, _you_, much faster without having to go through the trouble of asking Charlotte. In the end, Kelly pulled out and Barnabas had to turn to other methods."

"That bastard could have really destroyed the world?" He didn't want to believe how close to it Barnabas got, he had already seen what that man would've done just to get a DNA sample.

She nodded, "Well, the road to hell is paved with good intentions."

"That what road is paved with bad ones?" He asked.

She was tired, and she didn't want to talk about it anymore. She could tell that he didn't either, it was written all over his face. She deflected, "Hey, I've got some work to do, why don't you go back to sleep and I'll try to keep quiet."

He knew exactly what she was doing, a sign of her exhaustion, but he decided not to tease her about it, "You're workin' too hard, Ward."

* * *

Felicia was told, via note, to meet the others in the gym at exactly nine on Saturday morning. Dressed in sweatpants and a tank top, she looked around only to find her classmates, but no sign of any teacher of some sort, "So...where is she?"

"Who?" Steven asked, turning to her.

"_Victoria_," Felicia replied, "I got really specific instructions to be here. If _we're_ supposed to, where is _she_?"

"Yeah," Shane agreed, his tone much more condescending, "Some leader..."

"Maybe Fournier changed her mind?" David suggested.

"Or _Ward_ did," Rob added, shrugging.

Though they didn't say it out loud, they felt a calmness in the air around them. They wouldn't admit that they had been a little nervous about this situation. They had never really been on some kind of comic book team, who could blame them? Toad sort of chuckled at all this. He would've joked about Victoria's choice in 'heroes,' but decided that _maybe_ they _could_ live up to Ward's expectations, even if _they_ didn't think so.

Swiftly, he attacked.

"Hey!" Robert shouted when something blurred in front of him and knocked him to the floor. The others turned to see what was wrong.

"What the hell?!" Felicia was the next one to go down, but not without a fight at least. The unknown assailant went to kick her, but she jumped back and retaliated with a punch. She missed, and the attacker grabbed her wrist and threw her down.

"Okay," Shane nodded, "I see what's goin' on..." He charged up, fists bursting into flame, "Steve, hold him off! Dave and I will cover you!"

"Got it!" Steve nodded, and made his way toward the enemy. Hopefully, his superhuman strength would actually help him for once (instead of getting him into trouble). But this guy was quick, kicking him in the chest and taking the air of of Steve's lungs, he dropped to his knees. Steve wasn't ready to give up, not yet. He grabbed the man by his leg while he was down, knocking the man to the floor. A punch to the head would take this guy out for sure. Steve aimed for the face, but missed, making a crater in the floor.

Steve got a good look at the man's face and flinched. The man grinned, then sent another kick to the chest, sending him across the gym and skidding on the floor to a halt.

"Damn it!" Shane growled.

"Allow me," Dave smirked. The green guy was coming for him next, he could _feel _it, and feeling a little cocky, he called, "Hey! Come and get me!"

Toad knew this game, however. Humans used to do it to him all the time. The answer to this problem? Toad charged toward the boy, whom Victoria called 'David.'

Dave stood is ground, and as Toad drew closer, he opened his mouth, and yelled. Sound wave manipulation _did_ come in handy. The green man was sent back to the floor by the force of it.

Toad's ears were ringing, and it took some time for him to realize what had happened. Then, he remembered that there was work to be done. He jumped to his feet, ignoring the pain in his head, and was getting ready for round two.

"Man, this guy doesn't wanna quit," Shane laughed, "Would you like to finish this, or should I?"

"Nah, man," Dave replied, "He's all yours."

Shane's hands were still on fire and he took a step or two toward the green man, "Hey, why don't you just stop and I won't have to hurt you."

"You don't have to hurt him anyway," A new voice said. It was Victoria, who had been standing in the doorway for who knows how long, "You did a great job, Toad."

"_Toad_?" Shane smirked, "Is that my codename?"

"No," Victoria went to the green man's side, "It's his." She helped Toad to make sure he wasn't about to fall over again, "So what do you think?"

"I think those two can handle it," Toad nodded, "Not too sure about the others." He motioned to the ones he had taken out.

"They'll learn," Victoria replied.

"Wait, wait, wait," Shane yelled, "This was all some kind of _test_."

"I had to see what you were capable of," Victoria stated, "And if he thinks you can handle it, then it means you two are definitely on the field team."

"He _hurt_ Felicia, Rob, and Steve," Shane said.

"What do you think is gonna happen when you go out in the real world?" Toad interjected, "There are thousands of humans _and_ mutants that would kill you without a second thought."

"I'm guessing the others need more field training," Victoria changed the subject, "Shane, you managed to step up and take charge in the middle of all this. You're the team's field leader. Dave, you are second in command. If anything happens to Shane, I'm confident that _you_ will be able to take over."

"Hell no," Shane stated, "This isn't what I signed up for."

"Well, what were you expecting?" Victoria asked, then handed him a slip of paper, "This is when the next training session is, I hope that you'll change your mind." She turned away, leading Toad toward the exit.

"Don't hope too much, Ward," Shane sneered, though was disappointed when she didn't turn.

Ignoring him, Victoria smirked at Toad, "How about I show you that diner I was talking about?"

Steve groaned and sat up, "Damn." When he saw the look on Shane's face, he laughed loudly, "Dude, I just got my ass _kicked_, that was _awesome_!"

"Yeah, well, glad you enjoyed it," Shane replied, "Because we're not doing it again?"

"What?" Felicia shouted, standing to her full height and rubbing her back, "Why not?"

"You guys really wanna do that _again_?" Shane was a little surprised by this.

"Yeah," Rob nodded, "We gotta. Do you really want everyone on campus knowing we just _lost_?"

"What's that?" Felicia pointed to the paper in Shane's hand.

"Apparently," Shane looked at it, "We have a training session tomorrow, and after school on Monday."

"She really wants us to do this," Rob smirked, "I say we at least _try_ one more time."

"Fine," Shane nodded, "But next time, we'll be ready."

* * *

The Owl Diner was a little place, run by a mutant, and a fifteen minute walk away from the school. It was quiet, even for a Saturday morning, and the food was extremely greasy, but Victoria loved it, and it brought back memories from when her brother used to take her there on the weekends before he graduated.

"I think they'll be okay," Victoria stated, looking across the table at Toad, "I mean, yeah, Shane is pretty pissed off, but I _know_ he really wants to do this."

"And how do you know _that_," Toad wasn't convinced. Sure, he knew that she could naturally "read" people, facial expressions and all that, but there was _nothing_ in that kid's face that would've said "Why, yes I _will_ put my ass on the line for mutant kind." It looked more like a, "Touch me and I'll burn you alive."

"_Because_," She replied, sticking a french fry in her mouth, "He's a natural leader. He's cocky, a little sarcastic at times, but based on his relationship with his sister I can tell that he would do anything for the people he cared about. That's why he reacted badly when you attacked them. I mean, yeah, it would be the same story if you attacked _anyone_, but you saw the way he jumped to meet the challenge when he saw you."

"So, he's not gonna hold a grudge against_ you_," He replied, "But _me_ instead?"

"The second he found out I was working with you, he got mad at me," Victoria shook her head, "I say it'll be a little while before he can trust me. And when he does, he'll trust you to."

"Well, he'll have to, he's gonna be leading them out in the open, on _your_ orders," Toad stated.

"Maybe if I took them on a little field trip?" Victoria wondered out loud.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I have an idea," Victoria smirked, "We're gonna have to get by Fournier first."


End file.
